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Thomas Paine

To argue with a person who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead.

Friday, April 23, 2010

23 Apr - Morning Mailbag

Detail from Government. Mural by Elihu Vedder....Image via Wikipedia
  From Melting Glaciers to Structural Adjustment: Maude Barlow on the Need for Water Justice
http://www.democracynow.org/2010/4/22/from_melting_glaciers_to_structural_adjustment
In the Andean highlands of South America, climate change isn’t just an abstract threat. In Bolivia, glaciers are melting at what experts say is an alarming rate as a result of rising global temperatures. We speak with Maude Barlow, head of the Council of Canadians, about the melting glaciers, climate change and water.

 Conservative media baselessly accuse White House of plotting Goldman charges "to bolster support" for financial reform
http://mediamatters.org/research/201004210068

Goldman's White House connections raise eyebrows
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/04/21/92637/goldmans-connections-to-white.html
White House logs show that Chief Executive Lloyd Blankfein traveled to Washington for at least two events with President Barack Obama, whose 2008 presidential campaign received $994,795 in donations from Goldman's employees and their relatives. He also met twice with Obama's top economic adviser, Larry Summers.

GORDON DUFF: MUSINGS ON TEABAGS AND “PROTO-FASCISM”
http://www.veteranstoday.com/2010/04/21/gordon-duff-musings-on-teabags-and-proto-fascism/comment-page-1/#comment-56400
The sub-prime mortgage collapse was engineered, primarily at Goldman Sachs, one of several investment banks that perpetrated massive frauds, costing Americans their jobs, their homes and their retirement accounts.  Now that the current government wants to punish the real guilty, those responsible for everything our “tea bag” protesters are complaining about, guess who is silent?  Our “tea bag” protesters.  In fact most of the groups are heading to the streets to defend Goldman Sachs, a criminal organization that now has the support of the entire Republican Party, every single Republican member of congress.

Why wouldn’t the signs be there, “HANG THE CROOKS” or “CLEAN OUT THE NEST OF WALL STREET THIEVES” or “BRING OUR TROOPS BACK FROM IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN/BRING OUR MONEY BACK FROM SWITZERLAND AND THE CAYMAN ISLANDS.”

That’s were our money is, most of it anyway, hidden away in numbered accounts.  Not a cent of taxes has ever been paid on it.  In fact, so much of our money is being stashed overseas that the “bail out” has created few jobs and tax cheating by these huge organizations, the real controllers of our “tea bag” protesters, is considered the single largest threat against the survival of the United States.  In total, 24 trillion dollars has been held “off the books, ” untaxed, uncounted but also no longer available to America.  Most people never believed so much money existed.  What do you think the Federal Reserve System has been doing since 1913?

ou are destroying the ocean. We all are. We're polluting oceans with plastic waste and chemicals, we're overfishing, and we're causing climate change to warm and acidify our ocean waters.

But this Earth Day, you can do something about it. Since we are the problem, we can also be the solution. We can change our habits and protect our oceans forever.

We've partnered with our friends at Participant Media, the entertainment company behind such films as An Inconvenient Truth and Oceans, to help start a movement of people dedicated to taking simple steps to reduce three of the main threats to oceans: plastic waste, overfishing and climate change.

This Earth Day, you can make a difference by signing a public pledge to take at least one action to help save our oceans »

Here are the three most important steps you can take to help protect our oceans:

1. Choose reusable bottles and bags instead of plastic ones. Americans together use 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour and each use 500 plastic bags annually. These can take anywhere from 1,000 to 1 million years to degrade, and are why plastic constitutes 90% of all trash floating on the ocean's surface.

2. Eat non-endangered seafood. Due to our over-consumption of seafood, 90% of the world's large fish, such as tuna, swordfish, flounder and sharks have been killed in the past 50 years. If we continue at our current rates, all salt-water fish could be extinct by 2048.

3. Reduce your carbon footprint. Carbon intensive activities such as driving, flying, and inefficient home heating are warming ocean waters, which could be catastrophic for millions of ocean species unable to adapt to higher temperatures. The extinction of any number of these species could in turn cause a collapse of the marine food chain, affecting everything from plankton to polar bears.

We can change all this by together changing our own individual behavior. Together we can ensure healthy, clean oceans for future generations. It all starts with people like us deciding to make small changes that can have a big impact.

Sign the pledge today and commit to help save the world's oceans »

Thank you for taking a stand,

– The Change.org Team in partnership with Participant Media

Baghdad bombings target Sadr compound

Top news: A string of bombings across Iraq -- mostly target Shiite worshippers -- has killed over 40 people. The worst of these attacks was a triple bombing targeting the office compound of Shiite cleric Moqtada al Sadr. At least 25 people were killed as they left Friday prayers at a Mosque on the compound.
Bombs also went off outside three other Shiite mosques in Baghdad, all timed for the end of Friday prayers. Another attack -- a series of bombs near the homes of policemen in the western town of Khalidiya -- appeared to target Sunnis.
Iraq's worst day of sectarian violence in weeks comes days after the announcement of the killing of two senior al Qaeda leaders. Al-Sadr has also emerged as an influential player in the struggle for power following Iraq's close and disputed parliamentary election.
Greek crisis: Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou asked for the activation of an EU-IMF rescue package intended to pull his country out of debt. European stock markets rallied with the news.


Middle East
  • Iran says that it will allow U.N. nuclear inspectors more access to uranium enrichment sites.
  • Iraqi officials say they have arrested the mastermind behind a series of bombings in Baghdad in 2009.
  • U.S. envoy George Mitchell has arrived in the Middle East for his first visit since plans for indirect peace talks were abandoned.
Asia
Europe
  • Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme has offered to resign after the collapse of his government coalition.
  • A German bishop has resigned over accusations that he beat children while he was a priest
  • Europe's air traffic has returned to normal.
Africa
Americas
  • A 1-by-5 mile oil slick has spread across the Gulf of Mexico from the BP oil rig that exploded and sank on Tuesday night.
  • Mexican police arrested accused drug lord Gerardo Alvarez Vazquez.
  • Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo wants to impose military rule on the north of his country after killings by leftist guerrillas.

-By Joshua Keating



  • Afghanistan’s New Strongmen


  • The World Needs More Nick Cleggs


  • Being a Muslim in a Jewish State


  • Tom Friedman Should Stop Taking Osama bin Laden's Advice

ALI AL-SAADI/AFP/Getty Images


Center for Biological Diversity





Trispot darter



Massive Center Action to Save 404 Southeast Freshwater Species
To save one of the planet's most diverse and imperiled ecosystems, this week the Center for Biological Diversity and allies filed a scientific petition requesting protection for 404 species dependent on the Southeast's troubled waterways. The 1,145-page petition will set in motion a much-needed federal review to spur Endangered Species Act protection for 48 fish, 92 mussels and snails, 92 crustaceans, 82 plants, 13 reptiles, four mammals, 15 amphibians, 55 insects, and three birds. The survival of all these species -- including the Florida sandhill crane, Alabama map turtle, and hellbender salamander -- hinges on the health of Southeast aquatic habitats, which are under attack by a long list of threats, from dams to development to global warming.
"With unparalleled diversity facing severe threats, the Southeast's rivers are the extinction capital of North America," said Noah Greenwald, endangered species program director at the Center. "Dams, pollution, growing demand for water, and uncertainty about future water availability with global climate change mean these 404 species need Endangered Species Act protection to have any chance at survival."
Read more in The Miami Herald and check out our new Southeast freshwater extinction crisis Web page, where you can view a species slide show and interactive range map.

Make Earth Day About Overpopulation -- as Created in 1970
When Senator Gaylord Nelson launched the first Earth Day in 1970, one of his main concerns was the growing human population. Over the past 40 years since then, the world's population has increased from 3.7 billion to 6.8 billion, with the U.S. population jumping by more than half. Yet as overpopulation has become more and more of a problem, it's become less and less often talked about -- even on Earth Day, which should be a head-on confrontation of this, the mother of all major threats to Mother Earth.
This Earth Day -- today -- the Center for Biological Diversity is changing that dynamic in a big way. We're using the opportunity to distribute a quarter of a million of our edgy, conversation-provoking Endangered Species Condoms across the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico in one of the biggest overpopulation campaigns in U.S. history. Our condoms -- in packages featuring six different endangered species with funny lines like, "Wrap with care, save the polar bear" -- have already generated a huge international buzz among the public and the media. Today is our chance to make that buzz deafening -- and you can help by spreading the word.
So this Earth Day, as you're doing everything you can to combat the rampant threats to species and habitat, from climate change to overfishing to habitat destruction, remember -- and remind others -- that no matter what we do to combat those threats, we can't keep them from dooming nature if our population keeps growing beyond the Earth's capacity. And keep an eye out for some of our 250,000 condoms being distributed by thousands of volunteers at a community event, university, or pub near you.
Check out our Endangered Species Condoms Project Web site now, where you can also sign up to be a condom distributor. Then read our press release and learn more about overpopulation.

Protection on Horizon for Rocky Mountain Fishers
Due to a scientific petition by groups including the Center for Biological Diversity, one of the northern Rocky Mountains' rarest predators -- if not the rarest predator in the region -- has passed the first milestone on the path toward protection. Last Thursday, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that the Rockies population of fisher, a forest hunter related to weasels, may warrant a place on the endangered species list, triggering a 12-month study of the fisher's status -- which is decidedly imperiled. In fact, while fishers once roamed throughout the dense forests of the northern Rockies and from the Pacific Northwest to the southern Sierra Nevada, the animal has become increasingly rare due to trapping and logging, and now only a small native Rockies population survives in northern Idaho and northwestern Montana.
In response to a separate Center petition, the Fish and Wildlife Service has already declared that the Rocky Mountain fisher's cousin -- the West Coast's Pacific fisher -- warrants a place on the endangered species list. Unfortunately, the Pacific fisher is still merely a "candidate" for actual protection -- so this month, we went to court to expedite federal safeguards.
Read more in the Idaho Mountain Express.

Feds Held Liable for Sierra ORV Pollution
Last week, the U.S. Forest Service suffered a major setback in its effort to shake the blame for off-road vehicles polluting lakes and streams in the Sierra Nevada's El Dorado National Forest. Extreme ORV use on California's Rubicon Trail is causing excessive silt, automotive fluids, and bacteria pollution in lakes and streams essential for native trout, yellow-legged frogs, and drinking water -- so a regional water board issued a cleanup-and-abatement order to force a stop to the damage.
But instead of confronting the problem, the Forest Service claimed it wasn't responsible because the Rubicon Trail is an "unmaintained county road"; the agency also said it doesn't need to comply with the state's Water Code. The water board shot down those claims, upholding its order for the agency to clean up its act.
Check out our press release and learn more about the Center's campaign to stop destructive off-road vehicles.

Southwest Wildlife Endangered by National Forest Rollbacks
In a potentially catastrophic move for Arizona and New Mexico's Sky Island ecosystem, the U.S. Forest Service has proposed a draft land-management plan for the Coronado National Forest that includes sweeping rollbacks for wildlife protection. Not only would the 15-year plan do away with requirements to maintain healthy wildlife populations on the forest -- it would scrap protections for northern goshawks, Mexican spotted owls, and riparian areas while offering no forest-wide standards for activities including logging, grazing, mining, and road building.
The proposed Coronado plan is an update required by the National Forest Management Act, a set of rules guiding national-forest management across the country -- which itself includes requirements to maintain healthy species populations and restrict destructive human activities. The Center for Biological Diversity went to court to successfully overturn the Bush administration's repeated attempts to do away with those requirements, and the Forest Service is now drafting new national regulations. But the proposed Coronado plan represents a first step in the agency's efforts to squash critical wildlife protections in all Arizona and New Mexico national forests. The Center will work to ensure those efforts don't pay off.
Get details in our press release and learn more about our work for forests.

Management Plan Falls Short for California National Monument
After nearly a decade of neglect by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, this month California's Serengeti -- the Carrizo Plain National Monument -- earned a 10- to 15-year plan to help the feds and their partners manage lands and wildlife. Unfortunately for those lands and wildlife, the plan fails miserably at protections from destructive livestock grazing, allowing grazing to continue despite clear science showing the harm it inflicts on habitat for rare species -- which on the Carrizo include the San Joaquin kit fox, giant kangaroo rat, blunt-nosed leopard lizard, California condor, vernal-pool species, and a suite of imperiled plants.
"The Carrizo Management Plan is a step forward," said Ileene Anderson, a biologist with the Center for Biological Diversity, "but in the face of a changing climate, preserving the Carrizo Plain ecosystem with its suite of rare and imperiled species is imperative if we are to recover these species in the wild."
Check out our press release and learn more about our campaign to save species from grazing.

Movement Protests Military Base to Save Dugong -- Take Action With Us
Tomorrow, in Washington, D.C., an unprecedented network of more than 500 organizations -- with the Center for Biological Diversity among those at the forefront -- will send a letter to President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama opposing military development in habitat for the endangered Okinawa dugong. The Network for Okinawa's letter demands the cancellation of plans to relocate an infamous U.S. military base, Futenma Air Station, to Henoko Bay -- the feeding grounds for the Okinawa dugong, a relative of the Florida manatee whose population is down to a perilous 50 individuals. Due to a lawsuit by the Center and allies, in 2008 a federal judge ruled against the construction of a new airbase in Henoko -- but in December 2009, the Obama administration announced plans to expand the area's existing airbase.
On Sunday, April 25, the Network for Okinawa and our supporters will rally in D.C. in front of the Japanese Embassy to protest military-base construction in Okinawa.
Take action to save the dugong now and read our network's letter. If you live in D.C., learn more about this weekend's Network for Okinawa rally.

Arizona Must Get All the Lead Out For Condors
Lead poisoning from ingesting lead ammunition in hunter-shot carcasses is the leading cause of death for critically endangered California condors. Yet while California has passed nonlead-ammo legislation to protect condors -- after years of hard work by the Center for Biological Diversity and allies -- the Arizona Game and Fish Department refuses to see that a lead-free requirement for hunting in the condor range is critical for the bird's recovery. In fact, in a recent Arizona Daily Sun op-ed, an Arizona Game and Fish official ludicrously declares that a requirement to eliminate lead ammunition, the leading source of condor mortality, would be "no favor" to the endangered bird. That's a position that will push condors right back to the brink of extinction.
Only about 180 California condors exist in the wild, with just 70 of those in Arizona and Utah combined -- and we can't afford a single needless condor death. Unfortunately, most Arizona and Utah condors must every year be captured and intensively treated for lead poisoning after consuming lead bullet fragments. Just two months ago, three Arizona condors died from lead poisoning.

Free iPhone-activism App Gaining Fame -- Download, Review It Now
Last week, the Center for Biological Diversity launched a free application that can bring endangered-species activism straight to your iPhone -- and it's rising in popularity. The app, which sends iPhone users endangered-species ringtones, opportunities to take action for wildlife, and even this very newsletter, has now been downloaded by more than 1,000 people and received rave reviews ("Inspiring!" . . . "Nifty tool for activists!"  . . . "What a delight . . . !"). But hey, we know a lot more than 1,000 of you readers -- and your friends -- are iPhone users, and we'd love all of you to check out the app.
Dubbed "Wild Calls," the app uses wolf howls, whale songs, and action alerts to increase awareness of endangered species' plight and make it easier than ever for iPhone users around the world to take action for nature from wherever they happen to be. The brainchild of Center Conservation Director Peter Galvin, the app was developed by a clever team including Tom Wallace of Mobile Culture Lab and Bradley Feldman of Bradley Mobile Media, LLC.
If you haven't downloaded or reviewed Wild Calls yet, do it now -- and learn more from treehugger.com.

Thanks for Stopping Junk Mail, Saving Species -- Keep Doing It
Thanks to many of you readers who hate junk mail and love the environment, last year the Center for Biological Diversity earned almost $2,000 through our alliance with 41pounds.org -- a nonprofit that stops 80 to 95 percent of junk mail each year from ever being stamped with your address.
Every time a Center supporter goes to 41pounds.org to withdraw from the tree-destroying, resource-consuming, CO2-emitting, landfill-filling junk-mail cycle, the Center receives more than a third of the enrollment fee -- which then goes straight to saving species from extinction. That's fighting five environmental crises (at least) with one click. And the money we earned last fall and winter was more than most other groups receive all year. So thanks.
If you haven't yet visited 41pounds.org, there's no better day to do it than Earth Day -- unburden your mailbox of about 41 pounds of mail every year.

Kierán Suckling
Executive Director

Photo credits: trispot darter (c) Bernard Kuhajda; Alabama map turtle; crowded beach courtesy iStock/mura; fisher courtesy USFWS; vehicle on Rubicon Trail; northern goshawk (c) Robin Silver; blunt-nosed leopard lizard courtesy BLM; dugong courtesy Wikimedia Commons/Julien Willem; California condor courtesy USFWS; gray wolf (c) Robin Silver; logo courtesy 41pounds.org.
The Center for Biological Diversity sends newsletters and action alerts through DemocracyinAction.org.


Senate panel: Ratings agencies rolled over for Wall Street

McClatchey

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Many Americans are still suffering from high unemployment, with Black communities hit nearly twice as hard as the rest of the nation.1
Thankfully, Congressmen Keith Ellison [MN-5] and George Miller [CA-7] have put forth a bill that would help turn things around. It’s called the “Local Jobs for America Act,” and it would create up to a million jobs in the areas that need it most.
Every member of Congress should be behind this bill, and we’re asking that you help us get each representative on record in support.
Can you take a moment to sign onto a statement asking your representative to support the Local Jobs for America Act? It’ll only take a moment:
The economic crisis has hit Black folks especially hard — the unemployment rate is almost twice as high among African-Americans as among Whites. The picture is especially bleak for Black men — 19% are currently jobless.2
Unless Congress does something big to create new jobs — and soon — the situation could just keep getting worse. Each wasted day means more lost jobs, more foreclosed homes, and more medical bankruptcies — all of which will drag the economy down even further.
The Local Jobs for America Act (H.R.4812) would do a lot to help. The bill would allocate $75 billion for creating and saving 750,000 jobs, with the most funds going to economically depressed areas.3  It would allocate $25 billion to hire and retain teachers, police officers, and firefighters. Another $500 million would go to support on-the-job training programs.
Congressman Ellison has challenged us all to convince enough of our representatives to support this bill that its passage will be guaranteed. It’s a tall order, but Ellison has already gathered an amazing 139 cosponsors in just a few weeks. Now we must take advantage of that momentum.
Will you join us in calling on Congress to support the Local Jobs for America Act, and ask your friends and family to do the same? It takes just a moment:
Thanks and Peace,
-- James, Gabriel, William, Dani, Milton and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
   April 22nd, 2010


Announcing the Release Candidate for Ubuntu 10.04 LTS
The Ubuntu team is pleased to announce the Release Candidate for Ubuntu
10.04 LTS (Long-Term Support) Desktop and Server Editions and Ubuntu 10.04
LTS Server for Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud (UEC) and Amazon's EC2, as well as
Ubuntu 10.04 Netbook Edition. Codenamed "Lucid Lynx", 10.04 LTS continues
Ubuntu's proud tradition of integrating the latest and greatest open source
technologies into a high-quality, easy-to-use Linux distribution.

We consider this release candidate to be complete, stable, and suitable for
testing by any user.

Ubuntu 10.04 LTS Desktop Edition and Ubuntu 10.04 Netbook Edition continue
the trend of ever-faster boot speeds, with improved startup times and a
streamlined, smoother boot experience.

Ubuntu 10.04 LTS Server Edition provides even better integration of the
Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud, with its install-time cloud setup.

Ubuntu 10.04 LTS Server for UEC and EC2 brings the power and stability of
the Ubuntu Server Edition to cloud computing, whether you're using Amazon
EC2 or your own Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud.

The Ubuntu 10.04 family of variants, Kubuntu, Xubuntu, Edubuntu, Ubuntu
Studio, and Mythbuntu, also reach beta status today.

The final release of Ubuntu 10.04 LTS is scheduled for 29 April 2010 and
will be supported for three years on desktops and five years on servers.

Before installing or upgrading to Ubuntu 10.04 LTS, please review the
instructions and caveats in the release notes:

http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/releasenotes/1004

In addition, there are a small number of known bugs in the release candidate
that will be fixed before the Ubuntu 10.04 LTS release, but warrant
highlighting for your attention:

http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/releasenotes/1004overview#Known%20issues

About The Release Candidate
---------------------------

The purpose of the Release Candidate is to solicit one last round of testing
before the final release. Here are ways that you can help:

* Upgrade from Ubuntu 8.04 LTS or Ubuntu 9.10 to the Release Candidate by
following the instructions in the release notes referenced above.

* Participate in installation testing using the Release Candidate CD
images, by following the testing and reporting instructions at
http://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing/ISO


Desktop features
----------------

Social from the start: We now feature built-in integration with Twitter,
identi.ca, Facebook, and other social networks with the MeMenu in the panel.

New Design: Cleaner and faster boot, new notification area, new themes, new
icons, and new wallpaper bring a dramatically updated look and feel to
Ubuntu.

Ubuntu One: Synchronize any folder in your home directory, publish files to
share with the Internet directly from your Ubuntu desktop, manage more sync
settings with the Ubuntu One Preferences application, use Rhythmbox to
choose from millions of songs available for purchase in the Ubuntu One Music
Store. Learn more at:

http://one.ubuntu.com/blog

Server features
---------------
Cloud computing:  The Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud installer has been vastly
improved in order to support alternative installation topologies. UEC
components are now automatically discovered and registered, even when
the storage controller, cluster controller and walrus are installed on
different servers. Finally, UEC is now powered by the latest Eucalyptus
version 1.6.2.

UEC and EC2:  Ubuntu 10.04 LTS continues the tradition of official Ubuntu
Server image releases for UEC and for Amazon's EC2, giving you everything
you need for rapid deployment of Ubuntu instances in a cloud computing
environment. UEC images, and information on running Ubuntu 10.04 on EC2, are
available at:

   http://uec-images.ubuntu.com/releases/10.04/rc

Stability and security:  Ubuntu 10.04 LTS brings many improvements over
Ubuntu 8.04 LTS to keep your servers safe and secure for the next five
years, including AppArmor profiles for many key services, kernel hardening,
and an easy-to-configure firewall.

Ubuntu Netbook features
-----------------------

Ubuntu Netbook Edition is optimised to run on Intel atom based netbooks. It
includes a new consumer-friendly interface that allows users to quickly and
easily get on-line and use their favourite applications. This interface is
optimised for a retail sales environment.

It includes the same faster boot times and improved boot experience as
Ubuntu desktop.

Ubuntu Netbook on ARM
---------------------

The ARM optimised variant of Ubuntu Netbook comes with a lightweight
application selection tailored specifically for ARM deployments, including a
web-based office and mail solution and a launcher that works with and
without graphics acceleration.

Kubuntu features
----------------

Kubuntu 10.04 LTS will be the first LTS to feature KDE 4 Platform and
Applications.  KDE 4 has come a long way since its early releases and is now
suitable for the high demands of LTS users.  Being an LTS we have focused on
bug fixing and stability for this release, but we did find time to add
features such as touchpad configuration, Firefox KDE integration, Kubuntu
notification improvements, and cross-desktop systray menu standardisation.
Kubuntu features the Plasma Desktop while Kubuntu Netbook Remix comes out of
preview status with the Plasma Netbook workspace.

See https://wiki.kubuntu.org/LucidLynx/RC/Kubuntu for more details.

Edubuntu features
-----------------

Edubuntu 10.04 includes many new features, updates and fixes. Some
highlights
include:

LTSP and the Ubuntu Netbook Remix interface can now be installed from the
Live DVD right after system installation. The disc also features Live LTSP,
which allows you to try out LTSP without making any permanent changes to
your machine.

New and updated software, including a new menu editor for menus that can be
applied to user profiles. GBrainy is a new program in the Edubuntu suite
that excercises your brain.

A new icon theme which uses more descriptive icons, a new wallpaper and boot
splash screen as well as more subtle window theming that is easier on the
eyes.

Mythbuntu features
------------------

Mythbuntu 10.04 introduces MythTV 0.23.  This new version is significantly
faster and should feel more responsive and stable than older versions.  It
also integrates better into the OS with better support for things like
ConsoleKit and Upstart.

Please see http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/Release_Notes_-_0.23 for more details
about changes introduced in 0.23.

See http://mythbuntu.org/10.04/rc for information about the Mythbuntu
beta release.


A more complete tour of the features new in 10.04 LTS can be found at
http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/releasenotes/1004overview


About Ubuntu
------------

Ubuntu is a full-featured Linux distribution for desktops, laptops, netbooks
and servers, with a fast and easy installation and regular releases.  A
tightly-integrated selection of excellent applications is included, and an
incredible variety of add-on software is just a few clicks away.

Professional services including support are available from Canonical and
hundreds of other companies around the world.  For more information about
support, visit http://www.ubuntu.com/support

To Get the Ubuntu 10.04 LTS Release Candidate
---------------------------------------------

To upgrade to Ubuntu 10.04 LTS Release Candidate from Ubuntu 9.10 or Ubuntu
8.04 LTS, follow these instructions:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/LucidUpgrades

Or, to perform a new installation or try out 10.04 LTS "live" from CD,
download the Ubuntu 10.04 LTS Release Candidate here (choose the mirror
closest to you):

   Africa:

     * http://bw.releases.ubuntu.com/10.04 (Botswana)
     * http://ls.releases.ubuntu.com/10.04 (Lesotho)
     * http://mz.releases.ubuntu.com/10.04 (Mozambique)
     * http://na.releases.ubuntu.com/10.04 (Namibia)
     * http://ubuntu.mirror.ac.za/ubuntu-release/10.04 (South Africa)

   Asia:

     * http://ubunturelease.hnsdc.com/10.04 (India)
     * http://ubuntutym2.u-toyama.ac.jp/ubuntu/10.04 (Japan)
     * http://ubuntu.qualitynet.net/releases/10.04 (Kuwait)
     * http://ftp.mtu.ru/pub/ubuntu/releases/10.04 (Russian Federation)
     * http://mirror.yandex.ru/ubuntu-releases/10.04 (Russian Federation)
     * http://ubuntu.mirrors.isu.net.sa/releases/10.04 (Saudi Arabia)
     * http://ftp.linux.org.tr/ubuntu-releases/10.04 (Turkey)

   Europe:

     * http://ubuntu.ipacct.com/releases/10.04 (Bulgaria)
     * http://hr.releases.ubuntu.com/10.04 (Croatia)
     * http://mirrors.dotsrc.org/ubuntu-cd/10.04 (Denmark)
     * http://ftp.estpak.ee/pub/ubuntu-releases/10.04 (Estonia)
     * http://www.nic.funet.fi/pub/mirrors/releases.ubuntu.com/10.04 (Finland)
     * http://ftp.oleane.net/ubuntu-cd/10.04 (France)
     * http://ubuntu.mirror.tudos.de/ubuntu-releases/10.04 (Germany)
     * http://ftp.uni-kl.de/pub/linux/ubuntu.iso/10.04 (Germany)
     * http://speglar.simnet.is/ubuntu-releases/10.04 (Iceland)
     * http://ftp.heanet.ie/pub/ubuntu-releases/10.04 (Ireland)
     * http://releases.ubuntu.fastbull.org/ubuntu-releases/10.04 (Italy)
     * http://nl.releases.ubuntu.com/releases/10.04 (Netherlands)
     * http://no.releases.ubuntu.com/10.04 (Norway)
     * http://ftp.vectranet.pl/ubuntu-releases/10.04 (Poland)
     * http://mirrors.fe.up.pt/pub/ubuntu-releases/10.04 (Portugal)
     * http://mirrors.xservers.ro/ubuntu/releases/10.04 (Romania)
     * http://ftp.antik.sk/ubuntu-releases/10.04 (Slovakia)
     * http://ubuntu.cica.es/releases/10.04 (Spain)
     * http://se.releases.ubuntu.com/10.04 (Sweden)
     * http://mirror.switch.ch/ftp/mirror/ubuntu-cdimage/10.04 (Switzerland)

   North America:

     * http://archaea.its.sfu.ca/mirror/ubuntu-releases/10.04 (Canada)
     * http://mirror.csclub.uwaterloo.ca/ubuntu-releases/10.04 (Canada)
     * http://mirror.anl.gov/pub/ubuntu-iso/CDs/10.04 (United States)
     * http://ubuntu.cs.utah.edu/releases/10.04 (United States)
     * http://ubuntu-releases.cs.umn.edu/10.04 (United States)
     * http://www.gtlib.gatech.edu/pub/ubuntu-releases/10.04 (United States)

   Oceania/Australia:

     * http://ubuntu-releases.optus.net/10.04 (Australia)
     * http://ftp.citylink.co.nz/ubuntu-releases/10.04 (New Zealand)
     * http://mirror.ihug.co.nz/ubuntu-releases/10.04 (New Zealand)

   South America:

     * http://ubuntu.c3sl.ufpr.br/releases/10.04 (Brazil)
     * http://espelhos.edugraf.ufsc.br/ubuntu-releases/10.04 (Brazil)
     * http://www.las.ic.unicamp.br/pub/ubuntu-releases/10.04 (Brazil)

   Rest of the world:

     http://releases.ubuntu.com/10.04 (Great Britain)

Please download using Bittorrent if possible.  See
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BitTorrent for more information about
using BitTorrent.

Feedback and Participation
--------------------------

If you would like to help shape Ubuntu, take a look at the list of ways you
can participate at

   http://www.ubuntu.com/community/participate/

Your comments, bug reports, patches and suggestions will help turn this
Release Candidate into the best release of Ubuntu ever.  Please note that,
where possible, we prefer that bugs be reported using the tools provided,
rather than by visiting Launchpad directly.  Instructions can be found at

   https://help.ubuntu.com/community/ReportingBugs

If you have a question, or if you think you may have found a bug but are not
sure, first try asking on the #ubuntu IRC channel on FreeNode, on the Ubuntu
Users mailing list, or on the Ubuntu forums:

   http://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-users
   http://www.ubuntuforums.org/

More Information
----------------

You can find out more about Ubuntu and about this preview release on our
website, IRC channel and wiki. If you are new to Ubuntu, please visit:

   http://www.ubuntu.com/

To sign up for future Ubuntu announcements, please subscribe to Ubuntu's
very low volume announcement list at:

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Modify settings or unsubscribe at: 
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Color of Change 
 
Many Americans are still suffering from high unemployment, with Black communities hit nearly twice as hard as the rest of the nation.1
Thankfully, Congressmen Keith Ellison [MN-5] and George Miller [CA-7] have put forth a bill that would help turn things around. It’s called the “Local Jobs for America Act,” and it would create up to a million jobs in the areas that need it most.
Every member of Congress should be behind this bill, and we’re asking that you help us get each representative on record in support.
Can you take a moment to sign onto a statement asking your representative to support the Local Jobs for America Act? It’ll only take a moment:
The economic crisis has hit Black folks especially hard — the unemployment rate is almost twice as high among African-Americans as among Whites. The picture is especially bleak for Black men — 19% are currently jobless.2
Unless Congress does something big to create new jobs — and soon — the situation could just keep getting worse. Each wasted day means more lost jobs, more foreclosed homes, and more medical bankruptcies — all of which will drag the economy down even further.
The Local Jobs for America Act (H.R.4812) would do a lot to help. The bill would allocate $75 billion for creating and saving 750,000 jobs, with the most funds going to economically depressed areas.3  It would allocate $25 billion to hire and retain teachers, police officers, and firefighters. Another $500 million would go to support on-the-job training programs.
Congressman Ellison has challenged us all to convince enough of our representatives to support this bill that its passage will be guaranteed. It’s a tall order, but Ellison has already gathered an amazing 139 cosponsors in just a few weeks. Now we must take advantage of that momentum.
Will you join us in calling on Congress to support the Local Jobs for America Act, and ask your friends and family to do the same? It takes just a moment:
Thanks and Peace,
-- James, Gabriel, William, Dani, Milton and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
   April 22nd, 2010
 

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